i hope that i'm never in the position of choosing just one............

if i were, most likely a smith 4" model 66 as a jack of all trades, king of nothing. Make it work for duty, ccw, range fun, and hunting. With the 38spl/357 i can cover a lot of ground.

Ruger gp 100 is high on the list, but smith parts availability is much much better for any home repair jobs, and gunsmiths are plentiful that can work on them.

It is often quoted...... "rugers are indestructable"......and they dang near are....never seen a gp100 go out of time or fail on the qualification line..............but Murphy's law is still a consideration especially over the long haul. I want parts availability just in case.

just going on the guns I have shot and owned, I would have to say my Glock 26 that I own or a Glock 19, with a Sig being close second....I had a Sig and plan on getting another, but for me the G26 freakin rocks....its 100% reliable, is insanely easy to strip and clean, it shoots every amo there is with 100% dependability(1000 rounds so far of about 10 different amo brands), is very accurate, and for me fits my hand and shooting style perfectly.....you can get parts and accesories everywhere for short money.....another plus is that after 1000 rounds through my gun, it still looks like brand new, the barrel hardly has a mark on it, whereas my Sigs and S&W showed wear very quickly.....Its easy to carry and shoots like a full sized gun, and I like the way it looks....its perfect

I had to pick "Other". One brand for life I would have to go with Remington. Good shotguns and good rifles. One gun for life would have to be 270 rifle. You can hunt just about anything with it and a rifle will still work for home defence!!